Country of Retz

The Country of Retz or Country of Ray (alternatives: Rays, Raiz) is a country extending to the south from the department from the Loire-Atlantique in the area from the Pays from the Loire.

This small territory is located between southern bank of the estuary of the the Loire and the Breton Marais, bordered in the west by the Baie of Bourgneuf and delimited in the east by the Lac of Large-Place and a network of small rivers. Its main cities are Rezé, Machecoul, Pornic and Paimbœuf.

Its name comes from pagus ratiatensis , “country of Latin Rezé” in , because the latter called Portus Ratiatus (port of Rezé) or Ratiatum Pictonum Portus (port picton of Rezé), was its original harbor capital. In Gallo/Poitevin, it gives Paeï de Rais or Paeï de Raezaé .

Populated by the Ambiliatres, it is attached to the civitas Pictons with the creation of the Roman provinces de Gaulle, and remains in the Poitou until the creation of the Marches of Brittany in 851. The local population, Paydrets, are not driven out by the Breton authority; on the contrary, Brittany, conscious of the weakness of its presence in its Breton Steps, testifies to a great tolerance towards the franque population of the Country of Retz (like Nantes Country also). The inhabitants of the Country of Retz can thus continue to keep their bonds privileged with the Poitou and to trade with him.

In 1790, the Country of Retz will be integrated into the Loire-Atlantique

The inhabitants of the Country of Retz are called the Paydrets.

Geography

Bordered in the west by the Atlantic Ocean with the Bay of Bourgneuf, in the south by the Breton Marsh and the the Vendée, in the east by the lake of Large-Place and in north by the the Loire.

List common S of the Country of Retz (not-exhaustive list):

Arthon-in-Retz, Bouaye, Bouguenais, Bernerie-in-Retz, Brains, Bourgneuf-in-Retz, Bald person, Cheix-in-Retz, Chéméré, Chevrolière, Corcoué-on-Logne, Corsept, Fresnay-in-Retz, Frossay, Light, Limouzinière, Machecoul, the Marne, the Mountain, Moutiers-in-Retz, Paimbœuf, Paulx, the Pilgrim, the Plain-on-Sea, Bridge-Saint-Martin, Pornic, Port-Saint-Father, Préfailles, Rezé, Rouans, Saint-Aignan-Grandlieu, Saint-Brevin-the-Pines, Saint-Colomban, Saint-Cyr-in-Retz, Saint-Etienne-of-Sea-Dead, Saint-Hilaire-with-Chaléons, Saint-Jean-of-Bushel, Saint-Leger-the-Vines, Saint-Lumine-of-Cost, Saint-March-of-Cost, Holy-Marie-on-sea, Saint-Even-the-Held, Saint-Michel-Chief-Chief, Holy-Pazanne, Saint-Father-in-Retz, Saint-Philbert-of-Large-Place, Saint-Viaud, Touvois, Vue.

History

Antiquity

In the Antiquity, the country of Retz belonged to the territory of the Ambilâtres, people allied and close to the Namnètes. After the Roman conquest, these people was attached to the city of the Pictons. The symbol of the federation pictonne (the open hand) was reproduced on the currencies found in the Country of Retz . Thereafter, just like the other Gallic people, they were romanisés.

The country was turned towards the trade of salt. Portus Ratiatus (Rezé) disputed the sea traffic with its rival Condevicum (Nantes).

At VIesiècle, the conquest of the kingdom of the Visigoths by the Francs (Battle of Vouillé in 507) put a term at the ancient period. The country of Retz was a Viguerie of the Herbauges in Aquitaine, which extended on all the south from the Loire until the Lay (southern of the current Vendée), which depended on the country of Herbauges in the county of the Poitou. Rezé was the capital of this county of Herbauges, made up on the Low-Poitou in order to fight more effectively against the raids Normans.

The Middle Ages

Until the medium of IXe century the country of Ray remains directly related to the Comté of Poitiers, from which the northern part is divided into several “pagus”, Herbauges, Tiffauges and Mauges.

At the 9th century, the Breton kingdom of Nominoé progresses towards the East and the South. From 843 to 851, battles and treated between Germanic kings de Francie or emperors and kings de Bretagne go to devote the victories of Nominoé and his/her son Erispoé, combined with the Frank Lambert. In 843, Lambert beats Rainald, count of Herbauges, sent by Charles the Bald person. The command of Herbauges is entrusted to Begon which is also killed; a third defeat comes to complete the Breton incursion in Poitou when Lambert into 844 demolishes and kills Herve and Bernard, on the edges of Maine, affluent of Sèvre and who is used as limit Is with the Country of Ray. The treaty of 846 between Charles the Bald person and Nominoé, confirmed by that of Angers in 851 between Charles the Bald person and Erispoé give the “Ratense” or Country of Retz to the Brittany.

Devastated by the Norman , the grounds of the South-Loire (Northern of current the the Vendée, Country of Retz, Mauges) knows a rough fight between Bretons, Angevins and Poitevins. With regard to the Country of Retz, the treaty of Angers is confirmed in 943 and 973. The count of Anjou Foulque Nerra leaves principal recipient the confrontation between counts de Poitiers and Anjou: conquest of the Mauges, south of Saumur and Loudun. The county of Poitiers recovers most of the countries of Herbauges and Tiffauges, but loses the totality of Mauges to the profit of Anjou. As for the country of Retz, Brittany and Poitou agree to make common steps of them. The birth of the Steps of Brittany and Poitou (since Rezé with Machecoul and until Challans and of Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire to Montaigu while passing by Clisson) comes from this fight in the south of the Loire.

In 1317, the Diocese S of Nantes and Poitiers agree on the division of évêchés and the parishes which join either the Diocèse of Nantes, or the Diocèse of Luçon.

On the religious level, the period of the the Middle Ages, is very rich in construction of a great number of pertaining to worship monuments. The Country of Retz will cover religious buildings (abbeys, churches, priories) built, for the majority of them, by religious orders poitevins, angevins, tourangeaux and even inhabitant of the Ardennes. This religious grid of the Marches Brittany-Poitou was mainly carried out by several religious congregations.

Between the end of XIIesiècle and the beginning of XIIIesiècle, the monks of the Saint-Jouin Abbey of Marnes in the Poitou, base amongst other things, the church of Aigne located on the commune of Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire as well as the church Saint-Jacob at the south of Nantes, the abbey of Vertou and the priory of Saint Nicolas's Day to the Moutiers in Retz.

To the 12esiècle, the church of Saint-Leger-the-Vines and said them parish are entrusted to the protection of the abbey of Saint-Florent of Angers.

The parish of Saint-Father-in-Retz belongs to the Benedictines of the abbey of Marmoutier located in Touraine. The church of the Pellerin is also under the dependence and the protection of the monks of the abbey of Marmoutier located in Touraine. In 1038, is founded with the Moutiers-in-Retz, for the bénédictines of the Abbaye of Ronceray of Angers, a priory devoted to Notre-Dame of Ronceray, Angers. It was the first church of Moutiers-in-Retz.

Monks come from the abbey Stavelot- Malmédy (located in the the Ardennes) are established as of the 7th century with Holy-Pazanne, at the edge of Held, in a place which takes the name of the Ardennes. They found " there; priory of Ardennes" of Holy-Pazanne

The monks of the abbey of Noirmoutier (founded by saint Philibert in 675), decide to settle with " Déas" , in the year 800 hamlet which takes thereafter the name of Saint-Philbert-of-Large-Place. They build there the church of the abbey news in 815 (which remains one of oldest of France) and there deposit the relics of the saint in 836.

The Country of Retz belongs to the house of Laval; it is set up in duchy-peerage in 1581 in favor of the house of Gondi, which had up to that point had it as baronnie, then county, and it passes in 1676 in the house of Villeroy.

The French revolution

The creation of the departments of the Loire-Atlantique and the the Vendée roughly recuts the limits of the duchies of Brittany and Poitou, with some communes near: the parishes of (Saint-Andre-Thirteen-Ways, Bouin, Bernardière and Bruffière belonged to the Diocèse of Nantes and were attached to the diocese of Luçon, conversely the poitevine commune of Remouillé was integrated into the department of the Loire-Inférieure.

The War of the Vendée

At the beginning, this Insurrection hardly differs from the other insurrections which develop in France with the Printemps and with the be 1793. The difference, they is that, everywhere else, the troops come to end from the riot S. In the Vendée, on the contrary, a column armed soldiers with trade is demolished the March 19th with the Bridge-Charrault, involving the area of a confrontation limited towards a Civil war.

In 1793, the Country of Retz joined the military Vendée. The port cities like Paimbœuf and Pornic remained, they, more favorable to the republican ideas. The Country of Retz belonged to the the military Vendée. Cart was one of its main characters there by carrying out true a " guérilla" against the republican troops.

Sunday March 10th, “the protest extends. The Loire-Inférieure is raised massively, driving back the Nantes ones with the impotence in front of the multiplicity of the interventions necessary”. During the first week, the sites of the protest are extremely scattered. The March 11th, Machecoul is invaded by assemblies of protesters come from the common neighbors, who devote themselves to massacres, and this until April. Among the imprisoned inhabitants, then massacred, one counts priest S swearers. The number of deaths is evaluated, according to the authors, between a hundred and 800; Jean-Clement Martin listed some, for its part, at least 160. Among the rioters are Cart, which does not do anything to stop the massacres, Souchu, its former tax prosecutor, their chief, and the Prioul abbot, who celebrates a mass beside the corpses.

Symbols

Blasonnement and banner histories of the Country of Retz

In 1251, was deployed the armoirée banner of the Country of Retz. It has the colors Héraldique S: sand cross on gold bottom. These armorial bearings were confirmed in 1696 and several times until our days. It is one of the oldest flag of France. The historical, cultural and economic companies of the country take again these weapons and this flag

The blazon of the family of Ray takes again the heraldic composition of the historical banner, (of gold to the sand cross) .
This blazon becomes a source of inspiration for the composition of many blazons of communes of the Country of Retz, by taking again the blazon entirely or simply the colors which compose it gold and sand :
Bourgneuf-in-Retz,
Fresnay-in-Retz,
the Plain-on-Sea,
Saint-Brévin-the-Pines,
Saint-Etienne-of-Sea-Dead.

Recent creation of a new flag

Created and drawn in May 2000 on the initiative from Circle cultural Celtic from Pornic by Romuald Renaud ( whose strict methods of design of this work and the historical precise details in report/ratio were confirmed exact by the Cultural Institute of Brittany, the Breton Company of Vexillologie, the Heraldic Council of Brittany and the honorary president of the company of the historians of the Country of Retz ), this new emblem received the downstream of the Mixed trade-union of the Country of Retz Atlantique which financed its first phases of production.

Manufactured consequently in various formats to hundreds of specimens like in the form of several thousands of stickers, it was already adopted by many communities, various companies, restaurants, hotels, organizations religious, sporting and different, museums, ports and pleasure boats, private establishments or public… However, since its creation, some deplore the absence of reference poitevine for this flag. Since at the end of June 2006, at the request of the Museum of the Country of Retz within 40 years the promotional framework of its creation and with the agreement and the support of the president of the C.G.44 Patrick Mareschal; it floats at the sides of the new flag " logo" department on the 35 km of departmental axis RD-213 " road bleue" , of Bourgneuf-in-Retz with Saint-Brévin-the-Pines.

This communications tools fully contribute to allow on and apart from its territory, a tourist, cultural and economic localisable, identifiable and qualitative promotion of the Country of Retz in " South Bretagne".

Blasonnement:

"of hermines to the sand cross, the first canton changed for gold with the cross of sable."

Vexillologie

Flag to the 2/3. White zone, in the center a black cross bordered of a white edging. With the first gold canton (CMJN 0,26,95,0) to the black cross. With the three other cantons five mouchetures of hermine.

Descriptive history:

- The armoriée presence of Retz indicates the importance of its row and its place to whole share in the history of Brittany. Definitively integrated into the kingdom of Brittany at the time of the treaty of Angers into 851 with the countries of Nantes and Rennes, it belongs to XIème in XVIème century of share its strategic situation of the common steps Brittany-Poitou. Enjoying the envied dignity of seniority of the baronnies of Brittany, it will be after the union of the duchy of Brittany to the Kingdom of France, set up as a Viscount, county then in duchy and will sit at the States of Brittany until 1789.

- The black cross points out the parish and the town of Holy-Cross, which will leave place in the name of Machecoul, city strengthened and capital history of the Country of Retz; while becoming one of its districts. She also recalls the flag the oldest commun run to all the countries of Brittany, adopted in 1188 at the time of the third crusade.

- The five mouchetures of hermine specify that the Country of Retz belongs to évêché of Nantes which one of the five is évêchés of language gallo and Frenchwoman. They also specify that it belongs to the department of the Loire-Atlantique (in the past Loire-Inférieure) which is one of the five departments resulting from the cutting of the province of Brittany in 1790. It is also a heraldic homage recalling the fact little known according to: in 1237, the Duke of Brittany Pierre de Dreux known as " Mauclerc" with which one owes the appearance of mouchetures of hermine in the armorial bearings of Brittany, after having abdicated of its title of Duke, became by Seigneur marriage of Machecoul, historical capital of the Country of Retz.

The association of the armorié canton of Retz with mouchetures of hermine (practical adopted as of XVIème century, in particular by the ports and the navy of the duchy then of the province) is borrowed from the flag always in force of the city and the Country of Nantes, which was one of the capitals of historical Brittany.

Languages

The traditional dialect of the Country of Retz, still spoken nowadays but very often mixed with French is an intermediate speech between the Gallo spoken in north about the the Loire and the bas-poitevin because of position about steps which occupies the Country of Retz between Brittany gallèse and Poitou.

It is also necessary to note that the Breton would have been spoken on the littoral part of the Country of Retz: it would have been introduced during Breton immigrations of IIIe to the Life century. Then in the general movement of backward flow of this language towards the point of the Brittany starting from IXe century, the practice of this language in the Country of Retz would have been withdrawn . The Breton one does not appear any more, in an unquestionable way, in the landscape of the vernacular languages paydrètes since XVe century.

Some elements of toponymy testify to its presence: Gourmelon, Rohy, Coquer, Ménigou, Coëtargant etc… are attested evidence of it.

See too

External bonds concerning the country of Retz

Museum of the Country of Retz
Site of the Company of the Historians of the Country of Retz

External bonds concerning the linguistic debate

Romance languages
the gallo, the britto-Romance language
the toponymy of the country of Retz
the old language of the Country of Retz

Books concerning the country of Retz

Dominique Biron, Elizabeth Brisson, Dominique and Joseph Péroyz (collection and transcription), Tales of the Neighbor. Sixteen popular tales in speaking about the Country of Retz , Sequences, 1990,103 p

Sources of the article

Rene Curves, the Steps of Brittany to the Middle Ages , editions Jean Marie Pierre 1992
the Inheritance of the communes of the Loire-Atlantique , editions Flohic, 2001
Alain Gerard, the Vendean ones of the origins at our days , Center Vendean of the historical research, the Roche-sur-Yon 2001 (History of the Country of Retz and Ambilâtres at the end of Antiquity)
Courrier of the Country of Retz, September 14th, 2000.

Random links: